Quick Update

Lots going on in the sewing room lately!  Last week, I made a set of bibs for a friend who had a baby shower last weekend. 

I adore the owls!

I quilted big roses on each one, then appliqued a little purple heart.

So cute!

More owls

My cousin asked me to make some Easter baskets for her mother in law, so the EB sweat shop is back up and running.  :-)  I took a few minutes to whip up this mini basket for a friend who's having a long week.  It's a little early, but I figured I'd rather be early and relevant/useful than on time/late. 

Holds 3 eggs perfectly, with room to spare underneath for hidden chocolates!  The fabric is Chrysalis from Moda, which I simply adore. 

I also sold my treadmill last night, so a full half of my sewing room opened up!  I have my design wall again!  I have space to lay out/baste at least a full-size quilt!  It's glorious! 

SO MUCH SPACE!!!!  I might move the dresser (off screen, left) eventually, but for now I'm loving it!

I swear, this isn't unexpected

In the past few months, it seems the only one who hasn't been completely shocked by my ability/tendency to sew/craft/make stuff is my mom.  Maybe she had the genetic heads up and should've been shocked too, but I really don't understand what all the fuss is about.  This isn't really "new" per se, it's just a different symptom for an underlying diagnosis: I am an engineer to the core.

Let me explain.

When I make something, only about 10% of it is me saying "ooh, that's pretty!" The other 90% is doing the math (guess what, I have a scientific calculator in my sewing room.  It's not buried under other stuff either), putting puzzle pieces together, and figuring out how to "do it better".  Quilting, making, etc...it's just a puzzle to me.  It's taking something I see already made, then making it myself.  The first time is always a little rough, but then usually I have a good idea of how to make it (or at least the process) a little smoother, better, etc next time. 

The mental...space?...that I go to when I'm creating is the same space I used to go to when I worked with (not for) Matlab.  I'd spend hours staring at the same stuff on the same whiteboard, erasing and marking, tweaking until it was perfect, then coding coding coding.  It's the same now...I stare with what probably looks like a vacant look at fabrics, but really my wheels are turning and it's a process similar to what Stephen King described in Bag of Bones (something about movers in the attic...I can't remember exactly).  Generally, both processes involve(d) having multiple sources of white noise (MOTU, I'm sure, gets sick of me leaving radios and TVs on all over the house, but that's how I roll) to keep me focused.  It's a strange system, but even now, the thought of that atmosphere is soothing.

Anyway, that's my story.  It shouldn't shock anyone out there that quilting, for me, is textile mathematics. 

A couple quick pictures:

 Zoey, probably fixated on my necklace (again).  Cutest set of claws west of the Mississippi.  So hoping Alishia will decide she'd make a great "wedding gift" for us lol.  Definitely getting a kitten next time I get a cat.

 Teaser pic of my first attempt at free motion embroidering.  Yes, Mom, that's my handwriting when I try.  :-)  I still use cursive sometimes.

 Pew decorations are done.  Pretty lame, but they serve the purpose - little punch of color down the aisle.  (Incidentally, can anyone else not believe that's TWO WEEKS from tomorrow???)

My rehearsal bouquet, made from shower ribbons.  Friendly reminder of how very loved I am.  :-)  Life is good.

Another Send Off

It's been a particularly busy week...I can't believe my mom was here 2 days ago lol.  Last night I had a meeting for work at 1030 at night, so I needed to keep myself occupied until it started.  I put the finishing touches on the surprise quilt (which I've posted below, since I'm fairly certain momma has better things to be doing right now than reading my little ol' blog), then tried my hand at making bibs (MOTU's coworker's wife just had their first baby - a boy). 

This was SO much more fun than I expected!  I'm finding myself actually putting in the effort of pinning and marking stuff now...and it's really paying off!  See how straight those lines are! 

I bound it with this blue stuff I had lying around, cut on the bias (the second time I've ever done that...first was on the surprise quilt below).  It really is pretty stretchy that way.  I think it turned out pretty well!  Just need to put on some velcro and this one is done!

The other side.  I've got one more of this fabric, then two of this adorable dinosaur stuff I found as well. Though I also have some green terry cloth that I'm debating using as the back (or front) for those, so maybe I'll end up with 6.  Bibs are a great way to use up my batting scraps stash...that was getting out of hand.  It's also a great way to use up the flannel I can't resist buying...it's so cute!!!

The big reveal!  This quilt was a lot of firsts for me...first time I'd done letters, first time I doodled a pattern on the quilt then followed it, free-motion, first time cutting fabric on the bias (did not go well the first attempt...I have a 2.5 inch wide Charlie Brown strip now...), first square quilt (ok that's not as big a deal, but still). 

Here's the back...you can't really see the quilting, but it's there.  I did a flower in two squares, a heart in two squares, and outlined the letters in three squares.  The other two I left empty.

Here it is all boxed up and ready to go!

*sigh* I always feel like I'm sending a piece of me when I put these things in boxes.  Am I the only one who aches a little every time a quilt leaves home?  It's even worse if you don't get to see any sign of whether or not the recipient even got it (let alone if they like it)...it's like a lack of closure.  I guess that's better than finding out that all your time and love and effort was wasted on something the person never even uses...I won't specify, but I'm pretty sure at least one of mine is in someone's closet somewhere, on a stack of "too many blankets".  Ouch.  Won't pretend that doesn't hurt a little.

Anyway, moving on.  I posted this quilt on Etsy as well...well, not this specific one, but a custom one.  I'm sure no one reading this (since most of you are quilters yourselves) has any need for it, but it's up there.  It was so quick and fun, I think I could get one or two done before the wedding if they were ordered.

Oh!  In completely other news, once again I was blindsided yesterday by how crazy awesome my friends, family, and coworkers are!  The two wonderful women I work most with banded the office together (keep in mind that I work in the tech industry, so this is mostly guys we're talking about here) to throw me a SURPRISE bridal shower at work!!!  I had no idea!  They caught me completely off-guard - I almost worked from home yesterday, even!  They got a bunch of lovely things for us, including a picture frame I've been coveting from afar for a while.

I cannot express (which makes thank you notes hard) how completely awe-struck I am at the uninhibited outpouring of love and support MOTU and I have been experiencing.  I had no idea I'd made enough of an impact on people for them to band together like this and be so unrelentingly positive.  It's really beautiful.  This wedding has taken on a life of its own, and it has definitely had some stressful moments, but overall, I am SO excited to spend the day embraced and surrounded by people who genuinely care for us and genuinely want us to succeed.  It is just amazing and wonderful to feel so completely loved.  I have never been so at peace, so content, and so filled with joy, even during the most mundane moments of my days, as I have been the past week or so, and will continue to be knowing these wonderful people are in our life. 

I almost forgot!  I got the stamp for the programs, so here's what the covers look like now (well, 20 or so of them...I still have about 80 or so to put the leaves on).  

The stamp came from this lovely Etsian, who was extremely responsive and very quick with her work and the shipping.  Soon I should have pictures of our napkin rings, and when I do I'll post a link to that shop as well.

I hope everyone's feeling at least a fraction of the love and happiness I'm feeling today!